Gordon Research Conference on Molecular and Immunological Aspects of Parasitology (1987)

摘要

This conference on Molecular and Biochemical Parasitiology proved to be very popular. The organizers were forced to turn down over 100 applicants in order to limit the size to 135, the maximum allowed. A wide variety of topics were discussed. The identification of stage specific antigens and their genes in helminths has opened the way for new and better vaccines. Increased knowledge of the surface antigens of kinetoplastae suggested new ways to control African sleeping sickness. Much discussion and interest was provoked by presentation of the relatively poor protection afforded in human trials of a sporozoite malaria vaccine. We need to know more about the human immune response to synthetic vaccines. This will be a major topic of the next Gordon Conference. Drug resistance is increasingly a problem in the treatment of parasite diseases. Several notable advances in using molecular probes diagnostically were reported. The data on helminth proteases may lead to a vaccine against hookworm infection. The mechanism of cytoadherence of Plasmodium falciparum was an important topic of discussion because it is likely to play a central role in the pathogensis of cerebral malaria.